Holyoke Charter Committee holds off on special election; middle school funding debate continues

HOLYOKE — The City Council’s Charter and Rules Committee held off recommending a special election tied to funding two proposed middle schools. The Wednesday night meeting attracted an overflow crowd.

The special election would call for an up or down vote on a debt exclusion, or Proposition 2½ override, with the additional revenues floating a $55 million, 30-year construction bond.

In December, Councilor Joseph M. McGiverin introduced the debt exclusion motion. At the time, the council took no position on the special election or the recently drafted ballot question. The motion mentioned an April 30 election date, which likely will not happen now.

Voters must decide if they want to their property taxes to rise over the coming years. A simple majority would be needed to pass the measure. A no vote kills the middle school plan.

The $55 million bond would partly fund the two schools, which currently have a combined $132 million price tag.

Plans include razing and replacing the William Peck School off Northampton Street, which School Superintendent/State Receiver Stephen Zrike deemed substandard.

The Massachusetts School Building Authority, the state agency that oversees public schools construction projects, reimburses communities up to 80 percent of construction costs. However, the proposed Holyoke schools exceed square-footage guidelines, lowering the reimbursement to less than 60 percent. That rate leaves the city $55 million short of paying for the two schools. Floating a bond would let the city proceed with project funding.

Ward 2 Councilor Terence Murphy, who chairs the Charter Committee, did not favor the motion, stating only a small percentage of Holyoke voters go to the polls. He wanted more details before recommending a special election. Murphy also said a later date allows the City Clerk’s Office to prepare for a special election.

Councilor James Leahy said the special election could be called either by the council or through a citizen petition drive. Leahy asked why the committee was “rushing” the ballot question. He called for more public dialogue before deciding on a special election.

Councilor Linda Vacon wondered if the city was “mortgaging” its economic future. She called for rehabbing current structures rather than building the new schools. Vacon added that discussions continue on how to fund public safety and other city departments adequately.

Mayor Alex B. Morse said a school building committee has met over the past year, examining many of the questions posed at Wednesday’s meeting. He said the conversation on renovating existing or building new schools began when he took office in 2012.

Morse said the school proposals were “once in a lifetime,” and it is rare the School Building Authority agrees with building two 500-student schools. He said he wants neighborhoods across the city to have equal access to a good education.

He described the debt exclusion as a progressive tax, one based on a resident’s home value. He was open to a June vote, providing more time to get information out to the public. He wants voters to decide the matter.

Holyoke residents pack the City Council Chamber Wednesday night. The Charter and Rules Committee held public comment on a proposed special election tied to school funding.

The committee allowed public comment, with each speaker limited to brief statements.

Stefany Garcia, the mother of twins who attend Metcalf School, said past studies showed that current schools could not be rehabbed, including the former John J. Lynch Middle School.

John Aubin, who owns the massive Open Square complex, said he is not opposed to the new schools, but that not enough quality information is available. While Aubin is not opposed to his taxes going up, he worried about the effect an override would have on future development.

Patrick O’Connor, a teacher, said housing 1,110 middle school students in one building would cause problems. He said he wants a quality education for all Holyoke school children, which includes access to state-of-the-art facilities.

O’Connor added that renovating Peck and H.B. Lawrence Schools would be futile. He said the proposed schools would change the city’s future for the positive. He wants surrounding communities to know that Holyoke invests in education.

Eileen Bresnahan, of Bresnahan Insurance, said the April 30 date was too soon and that the community needs more information. “Take the time to think about it,” she said.

Michael Siciliano was concerned about the proposal to “drastically raise” taxes in Holyoke, especially the effect it would have on homeowners with limited incomes. Siciliano, who ran for mayor in 2017, said, “I believe the taxpayers in Holyoke are over-leveraged.”

Former City Council President Kevin Jourdain opposed a ballot question. He said any question should be placed on a general ballot. He said the “jury was out” on whether new schools contribute to improving educational outcomes.

Jourdain said the ballot question would generate community division. In the past, school bonds came through and were decided by the City Council. He called the proposal “absurd.”

Rory Casey, a member of the school building committee, said the process has been transparent from the start. He noted all the building committee’s minutes and documents are online, including the reasoning behind seeking the debt exclusion.

Casey, formerly Morse’s chief of staff, said Peck School “is the worst designed school in the district.” He said there was a “huge difference” in educational outcomes between renovating a Peck School and building anew. Any delay would increase construction costs by millions of dollars, according to Casey.

Helene Florio, of the Holyoke Taxpayers Association, said the committee was faced with a tough task, approving the ballot question. She said Zrike identified inadequacies in the school district, including the buildings. But she wants the city to explore alternatives to an override. She was “offended” by one study that compared Holyoke’s tax burden to that of Burlington, a bedroom community near Boston.

She asked the committee “not to rush to judgment,” and said members should carefully consider a debt exclusion vote.